Arthur
was created by Namco for the Korean versions of the Soul Calibur.
Samurai are illegal there, so they had to create Arthur to be able to release
the game in Korea. Arthur also appeared in some international versions of Soul Calibur
as a "palette swap" for
Mitsurugi.
Namco finally brought him back in SC3 as a special guest character. However,
his official story goes as follows:

Arthur does not know
who his siblings are. Born in a harbor town of England, he was living
alone by the time he realized what life was like. On that street, which
was the key point of the Atlantic trade, even a beggar could make enough
money to live a day. At the age of 8, by the suggestion of a sailor who
became close to him, he became a sailor. Life on the sea as a handyman
of the ship was fun. But, his travel as the mascot of the ship, being loved
by the crew, was over only in 2 years. When they visited the country of
the Far East-Japan, known as the island of gold-a wealthy merchant who
was trading with them took him as a stepson. For the merchant, he only
took Arthur in as a collection of things from the West, but a 10 year old
boy couldn't have understood such peculiarity of an adult. He was very
happy to have someone to call father.

He learned Japanese
and the Japanese manners so as to please his stepfather. The Japanese people
disliked and criticized "the foreign boy who acts like a Japanese' and
eventually, his stepfather offered him to a noble in the excuse that it
was to teach him manners. In the battlefield, his appearance was a target.
Arrows, blades and lead bullets attack him. To stay alive, he had no other
way but to fight recklessly. And one day, after countless battles gave
him confidence about his skills, he realized. What he is is neither a Japanese,
nor a foreigner, but a swordsman without roots. The Japanese just look at
him with curiosity, not as a man. But there's no way he could be European
again, having forgotten his mother tongue already.

An ineffable anxiety
overwhelmed him. What to do to be recognized as a man-the
only way was to fight. Achieve what no one else can by accomplishing brilliant
exploits! Without knowing what to accomplish, he left his home and wandered
the battlefields. To become stronger, he risked his life many times. As
a result, he lost an eye that people said was like a jewel and what he
gained were countless scars, self confidence that he can't lose to anyone,
and a lovely woman who used to be a prostitute, who followed him like a
shadow. By the time a baby of mixed bloodline was born, a rumor reached
his ear. The evil knight of the West. And Soul edge. It was like an oracle
to him, who didn't know what to accomplish.

If he defeats that
knight and obtains that sword that's called invincible, this time, people
might recognize his skills. Then his love and his baby won't be seen as
strangers. Leaving behind the woman and the suckling, he went aboard a
ship again after 20 years. At the moment a cannon signaled the departure
of the ship, the long-forgotten scenery of his homeland came back to him
like an illusion.

Arthur began his search
of Nightmare, but he cannot
find his whereabouts, and eventually he realized his own weakness. He was
just a man, and finally understood that this search wasn't worth his consideration,
and taught what he should do next. He found, as proof of his journey, a
piece of Soul Edge and took it with him. He returned to his lover and engaged
in matrimony. He then returned to the battlefield to support her and his
daughter, but a bad feeling was always in his hearth. 2 years after his wedding, an
epidemy attacked his town, but thankfully Arthur's family wasn't
affected by it. The wife carried the fragment he gave her always, and when
the epidemy faded and the town began to restore itself, Arthur's wife fell
ill.

Then one day Arthur
returned home only to find his daughter crying over his wife, who was in
the floor. As he approaches her skin began changing color. A doctor treated
her, but nothing could be done and she died. Arthur was stricken with grief,
when a small man appeared. He probably was just a traveling doctor who
heard about her strange illness, but Arthur let his emotions cloud his
mind and expelled him shouting. The man left, saying it was the fault of
"that piece of metal". Arthur was amazed after hearing his strange language,
but he couldn't find him anywhere. After the funeral of his wife, Arthur
recalled that man's words. He felt that his wife's death was his fault
for giving her that fragment. So he decided what to do: destroy Soul Edge,
that was the only way he found to stop the sadness in his hearth. The next
day he embarked with his daughter again into the exotic lands, this time
seeing at the distant as if he could see the wicked sword itself.

I find it
interesting that by giving Mitsurugi an eye patch and blonde hair, he is
"no longer a samurai"... lol. I was confused by this design when I
first saw him at the arcade in SC, and perhaps for that reason, I thought
Arthur was pretty cool for a random palette swap.

Namco tried to bring about some fan service and actually reinvented him in Soul Calibur
3. As a "bonus character," Arthur was alright. At first glance, I
thought it was cool that he wore Mitsurugi's original SC2 outfit (since
Mitsurugi's new SC3 costume was a lot different). Anyhow, his SC3
moveset was average at best... Arthur actually has quite a few sloppy and silly
moves in SC3... It would've been better if he had more of Mitsurugi's
original SC2 moves, actually.